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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

Bishop Vincent

Easter Reflection

The Chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service, Bishop Vincent Long, offers us an Easter reflection on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

A photograph of Uluru, taken at sunrise/sunset

Saying Yes to the Voice

Peter Arndt, Director of the Office reflects on Advent and particularly on seeing God with us each day. The hustle and bustle of this time of year can stop us seeing and hearing God in our day-to-day lives. He urges us to keep Christ in our celebrations of Christmas by remembering and including people excluded from society and our brother and sisters in the environment in our celebrations. Peter farewells Patrice Moriarty who is moving on from her support of the Office.

A picture of the Closing the Gap report which has a red dust coloured background and a simple dot painting on the right hand side of several concentric circles linked together by a path of white dots.

New Commonwealth Closing the Gap Report

The first Commonwealth Closing the Gap report has been released after the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in 2020. The National Agreement focuses on prioritising partnerships between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Community-Controlled Organisations with four priority areas. There are also 17 socio-economic outcomes, four of which were on target.

The logo for the NATSICC Assembly in is the middle of the screen with a deep blue background that looks like the night sky. The emblem is an Aboriginal painting with a red and orange snake forming a circle and a white bird features prominently.

NATSICC Assembly Videos

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council ran their national assembly in September of this year in Townsville. It was an incredible event especially given this was the first time the community has been able to get together since COVID-19 began. The website now has a video available with photos of the assembly as well as a twenty minute wrap up video which summarises the event.

Yellow speech bubble is in the centre of the image with "FROM THE HEART" in white writing next to it. Underneath is black text reading "www.fromtheheart.com.au". All on a background of red sand.

Uluru Statement from the Heart

An update is provided on the Uluru Statement from the Heart after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing that the referendum for the Voice to Parliament will occur in the 2023-2024 Financial year. The Australian Catholic Bishops endorsed the Statement last November and Dean Parkin spoke at the NATSICC Assembly. Resources and ideas for grass roots promotion are available through a new website.

The logo for the NATSICC Assembly in is the middle of the screen with a deep blue background that looks like the night sky. The emblem is an Aboriginal painting with a red and orange snake forming a circle and a white bird features prominently.

NATSICC Assembly – Holy Spirit in This Land

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) are this week conducting their national assembly in the diocese of Townsville. After needing to be rescheduled due to Covid-19, Indigenous Catholics from around the country are travelling to be together and share in their faith, knowledge, and community. The theme for this year’s assembly is, “Holy Spirit in this Land.”

Yellow background with the text, "Be Brave. Make change. National Reconciliation Week, May 27 - 3 June.

Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week

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Sorry Day (26 May) and Reconciliation Week (27 May-3 June) both focus on alleviating personal, social and cultural injustice that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have faced from non-Indigenous Australia. The onus of these weeks are on non-Indigenous organisations, people and groups to take steps to “Be Brave. Make Change.” This is the theme of this year’s week and Reconciliation Action Plans are a good first step.

The text: "Crying Out: Exploring the Statement from the Heart and care for the environment" is in the centre of the picture with a faded slightly white picture of a native plant in the background.

Crying Out: Exploring the Uluru Statement from the Heart and care for the environment

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A new resource exploring the relationship between the Uluru Statement from the Heart and care for the environment has been released, aimed at small group discussions in a parish setting. The resource is a creation of the South Australian Dialogue of the Roman Catholic and Uniting Churches and can be used across denominations. A leader’s guide is also available through their website to help preparations.